Ontario to call in military help to fight coronavirus in long-term care homes
Extra personnel will be deployed to five priority facilities, premier says
TORONTO—Ontario is calling in military assistance and expanding testing as it battles the spread of COVID-19 in longterm care homes, where nearly 3,000 people have been infected and almost 450 residents have died.
Premier Doug Ford said he would make a formal request Wednesday for reinforcements from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Forces personnel.
“We’re in the thick of a raging battle against COVID-19 in our long-term care homes,” he said. “When you’re in a fight like this, you leave nothing on the table.”
The additional personnel will provide operational and logistical assistance so long-term care staff can focus on the care of residents, Ford said. They will be deployed to five priority homes, Ford said. Those locations haven’t been determined yet.
“Things change very quickly, sometimes hour by hour,” Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton said when asked. “That military assistance will go to the homes in greatest need and so I will leave it there.”
There have been at least 448 deaths in long-term care — including one personal support worker — amid outbreaks at 127 facilities, according to ministry data. That is 49 more deaths since the previous day.
There were 367 new cases in residents reported in the past day, and 90 new cases in staff. In total, 1,985 residents and 957 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
Ontario also announced Wednesday it is expanding testing to all 78,000 residents and 56,000 health workers in longterm care homes.
Provincial health officials have previously resisted calls for such widespread testing of asymptomatic people, but a new memo from the deputy ministers of health and longterm care, as well as the chief medical officer of health, tells public health units (PHUs) to immediately develop plans for the broad testing.
“This point-in-time testing will enable homes, PHUs, and the province to better understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in long-term care homes and inform future planning,” the officials write.
“Testing is an important component of a comprehensive response plan being implemented to address COVID-19 in this vulnerable population in order to ensure that these facilities have every resource needed to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Homes with current outbreaks should be prioritized, as should the testing of residents, but it’s also important to understand the prevalence among staff, the memo said.